The Joyful Moments of Being a GeekDad

We all have moments that bring salty water to our tears ducts as parents, but as GeekDads our moments are sometimes slightly different from others. We might feel it when our child acknowledges that Episode IV is actually better than Episode I, or when they draw their first dragon and call him Smaug. They are things other parents don't fully understand or appreciate. These things are different from first steps or first words, and they run deep for those of us who grew up with our heads in science fiction and our hands on twenty-sided dice. So, I wanted to share with you one of those moments - because where else and with whom else can I share them?

Image with Cthulhu Scribblenauts

We all have moments that bring salty water to our tears ducts as parents, but as GeekDads our moments are sometimes slightly different from others. We might feel it when our child acknowledges that Episode IV is actually better than Episode I, or when they draw their first dragon and call him Smaug. They are things other parents don't fully understand or appreciate. These things are different from first steps or first words, and they run deep for those of us who grew up with our heads in science fiction and our hands on twenty-sided dice. So, I wanted to share with you one of those moments - because where else and with whom else can I share them?

I had a GeekDad moment a couple of days ago. My 9 year-old was happily playing on the ipads flicking through different apps. I was tinkering over at the TV hooking up my latest Commodore 64 console (because retro gaming is a thing in my head now). He then called out to me and said, "Hey Dad, Scribblenauts knows about Cthulhu." I headed over to the couch to take a look.

For those unaware, Scribblenauts is a very clever educational tool that is a combination of problem solving and the old text-based RPGs we used to play before graphics on computers existed. Basically you have to solve different levels by typing in words of things that might help you to solve the problem. For example, if you need to get to the top of a cliff you might type "wings" to give your character wings, or "aeroplane," or "pegasus." The vocabulary of the game is huge and extends to all types of items that when typed appear on the screen to be used.

Well, my 9-year-old (who is yet to read any H. P. Lovecraft I might add) typed in "Cthulhu." And the Great Old One appeared in Scribblenauts and began to attack him! There was no mention of just how much sanity was lost, but all I could do was ruffle my boys hair and smile. "He typed 'Cthulhu,'" I kept repeating to myself over and over while shaking my head.

I'd love to hear your GeekDad moments. We should be sharing them often, don't you think?

I started a group over at the GeekDad Community for us to share the GeekDad moments as they come along. Please head over there and add yours.